


He Went With Her

by BuzzCat



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Norribeth, One-Shot, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 02:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5113412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuzzCat/pseuds/BuzzCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quick one-shot of what might have happened if James had been able to leave the Flying Dutchman with Elizabeth, including Elizabeth coming to an emotional realization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Went With Her

“James, come with me.” He looked at her in surprise. He knew that he still had a great deal to do before he was forgiven. Her eyes, in the midst of the adrenaline of escape, were begging him to come with her.

In the split second that he had, James thought of the life he was living. He’d returned to the Navy but it wasn’t a Navy he had known before. Beckett had been intended as a tool to join proper society but the longer James remained in society, the more he felt Beckett shackling him to Beckett’s cause. A cause that damned Elizabeth to death at the point of a sword or the end of a rope. It was a cause James could follow no more.

“Go. I will follow.” Elizabeth smiled and kissed his cheek, swinging herself up onto the rope. James listened intently for anything to signify someone had discovered their escape, but the ship was quiet. He followed Elizabeth across the rope.

By the time they reached the Empress, the crew had quietly scattered about and the ship was ready to cut off from the Dutchmen. Elizabeth was the one to cut off the rope and they were free. She set the crew about their duties and turned to James,

“You command them well.” He said.

“Well, I have you to thank for that.” She said. James looked confused and she clarified, “Who do you think was the first one to show me how a ship is run?” James smiled at her words and Elizabeth noticed for the first time that James’s smile was brittle. She frowned,

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” James said, looking out over the ocean. In truth, there was nothing wrong but that he loved her more than ever before. When she was a fine lady of society, the cultural paragon of class and taste, he had loved her for her wit and admired her for how she moved in society as adept as a fish in water. He’d enjoyed her fine beauty, so praised by everyone.

But now, he knew that love to have been artificial, a shallow inkling of the feeling he now had. Before she was half of herself, although neither of them had known it. There had been something missing that either Elizabeth had wanted to hide from everyone or even she hadn’t known she had. Now she was a fierce commander of her forces and James had never seen a more amazing, awesome sight than Elizabeth, hair wild and hands calloused, steering at the helm of a pirate ship.

James shortly joined her at the wheel,

“Where are we headed?”

“Shipwreck Cove.”

“More pirates, Elizabeth? Is that the wisest choice?” he said seriously. Elizabeth turned to him,

“The pirates are meeting and like it or not, it appears that I am a pirate. There’s barely an honorable man among them and I will not let them ruin the seas by giving in to Beckett.” She said. James nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the railing,

“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” She looked at him quizzically and James smiled his brittle smile, “You’ve lied to me more times than I can count, you’ve slaughtered, and you’ve sailed with pirates long enough.”

“James…” She said, her smile falling at his words. But Elizabeth couldn’t deny it. No matter how you sliced it, she had lied, killed, and sailed with pirates. In truth there were nights on land she couldn’t sleep without the sway of the ocean beneath her. Without quite realizing it, Elizabeth had become a pirate. She turned back to the wheel, not sure how she felt about that. James sighed, reaching up and sweeping off his hat and wig. His hair was well taken care of, compared to the matted mess when Elizabeth had last seen it. He sighed deeply, staring at the hat and wig in his hands,

“No, that isn’t quite fair. I’ve done the same,” Elizabeth looked at him and he waved his hand as if to dispel thoughts, “minus the lying, of course. But then again, betrayal might trump lying on the list of sins.” He looked so lost then, and Elizabeth thought she understood at least a little bit of it. The institution that he had put his faith in for so long had left him in the dust as it sailed on toward a slightly more corrupt way of dealing with the world. An honorable man, lost at sea on a pirate ship. Elizabeth stepped over and stood behind James, wrapping her arms around him to clasp in the front across his chest. He froze,

“Elizabeth, what—“

“You looked a little lost.” James looked ahead, staring out over the ocean and slowly one of his hands came up to cover hers. She leaned her head against his back, sighing deeply and she squeezed him a little tighter. It felt right, to have him there. Elizabeth hadn’t realized she was missing something on her ocean adventures until James was beside her. He understood her without pushing her to become one thing or another. He didn’t try to calm her wild nature, but loved—Elizabeth’s thoughts halted at that. _Loved_. James loved her. It was blatantly obvious when she thought about it. He’d broke with the Navy for her, forgiven her for playing him to save Will, and a thousand other little things she hadn’t thought much of but when she put them together, it made a complete picture of a man in love. She closed her eyes and whispered into his jacket, trusting the fabric to keep her secret,

“I love you too.”


End file.
